


Skulduggery Pleasant: Resurrection- the return of {villain}'s revenge. The Reckoning.

by Skafflock



Category: Skulduggery Pleasant - Derek Landy
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:27:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27306991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skafflock/pseuds/Skafflock
Summary: A beginning-to-end rewrite of Skulduggery Pleasant: Resurrection. Recycling many of the same characters, but executed differently.This work is made to attempt to explore avenues of Skulduggery Pleasant that fans from the subreddit often said they'd have liked to see in phase 2, such as putting more focus on the world-building and certain characters who may not have gotten a chance to shine in the original work. Big thanks to CatTheGrimReaper for acting as my muse and letting me bounce ideas off them while I wrote.Updates will be weekly to monthly unless otherwise specified. All credit goes to Derek Landy, original creator and owner of Skulduggery Pleasant.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

Temper was having a very bad night.

He was no stranger to bad nights, in his line of work they were nearly as common as regular nights- and sadly far less unusual than the blessed good nights. However it was a rarity that he would experience something unpleasant or dangerous enough to warrant the label of a “very” bad night. He decided quite adamantly that, forced to run through a darkened street at two A.M with burning lungs and a throbbing side as he was, this particular turn of events more than qualified. Of course it was not entirely misfortune that had led to this, and it would be downright childish of him to pretend it was. After all it was Temper’s own choice to go undercover among a group of Mortal-hating conspiracy theorists in search of Skulduggery. And it was his own slip-up that had let them know he was a spy to begin with. Though, even considering such factors, Temper was of the opinion that being violently and horribly murdered and dumped in a ditch was slightly more extreme a punishment than he deserved. In fact, such an eventuality may well have made this into the worst night of his life, he certainly couldn’t think of any nights in which he’d had it worse than being killed.

Temper gritted his teeth as his boots hit a puddle, splashing its contents across his pant legs and the walls and floor of the alley as he continued barrelling through it. In this darkness, in this unnatural absence of all activity, even the sounds of his own footsteps felt like a thunderclap each time they fell against the cobbles. He was sure each one would give away his position, that the act of trying to escape to safety would make enough noise for his pursuers to locate him. He knew that was a pointless fear. They already knew where he was, something as simple as breathing heavily would let them detect him on the air- his only chance was to run. 

A shadow fell across the spotlight of a street lamp as Temper pulled out into the road it occupied, and he nearly jumped out of his skin before realising it was his own. He continued on his way without another thought spared for it. There were more lamps lining the street further down, illuminating the pavement and most of the road. Temper’s first instinct was to stick to the patches which escaped their incandescence, but once again his rational thoughts prevailed. He wouldn’t achieve any greater degree of subterfuge by avoiding the glow, and the path through the lamplight was slightly shorter than it was through the centre of the road. Once again, he sacrificed stealth for speed as he turned into the right side of the street and sprinted down along the illuminated pavement.

By Temper’s reckoning, he was only two or so miles from the Sanctuary. Just another five minutes and he’d be safe. He could do it. He could escape. He could-

He dived to the side as the ground two steps in front of him burst open, narrowly avoiding the machete that came grinding towards his throat at the end of a stupidly wide swing. He hit the curb with his shoulder and slid off onto the road, jarring it slightly but not causing any serious damage. A second later he was on his feet, ready to meet the snarling tunneler who’d just regained his footing after the excessive arc of his attack dragged him off balance. His face was illuminated in the light, but Temper didn’t recognise him in the slightest. He seemed to recognise Temper though.

He charged at Temper, that weapon of his looking savage as he clutched it stiffly in his right fist. It was so rusted and chipped that it didn’t even glint in the light when it came for Temper’s face, nor when Temper twisted around it and sent it flying from the man’s hand by locking both of his arms around his elbow and bending the joint back against his own torso. The machete clattered heavily to the floor and the man swore, which was very kind of him as the open mouth gave Temper a lovely place to put his fist- driving teeth inwards and forcing his head back. The tunneler stumbled away, righting himself a second too late to stop Temper’s left foot from sinking into the magic spot under his ribs and crushing his liver. He folded over, even in the agony he must’ve been feeling his eyes showed no hint of changing. Temper slammed an elbow into one of them, and when he spared a glance for the man as he lay on the floor he saw that the sensory organ had cracked and split open. He’d heard Billy-Ray Sanguine wore sunglasses to disguise the fact that he’d long since scooped out his own, it seemed that was the price all tunnelers needed to pay.

Temper had no time to dwell on that though, he had to hurry. That little scuffle hadn’t been hard-fought for him but it hadn’t needed to be, even dispatching someone of that level cost him precious moments. He took off in another run, his left shoulder still stinging where it had kissed the road seconds prior. Temper had been agitated and nervous before, but the reassurance that’d come with being so close to safety had evaporated the moment he’d noticed that attack. His eyes darted in every direction as he ran, desperately dissecting the darkness to try and pick out even a hint of a humanoid outline. His hands and feet felt numb, adrenalin calling blood away from them and recycling it through the muscles and organs. His lungs were throbbing now, and even in the frigid air of Ireland’s night he could feel his skin dampen with sweat. Still, he ran. Still he moved. And still he desperately told himself it wasn’t over, he could live. He could get away.

And then the air closed in on him and the world turned upside down and inside out. Temper felt weightless for a second, and then he felt a sharp impact in his back- his head and legs folded back for a moment and the air was driven out of him. He heard screeching metal and then his face hit the cement ground. All the strength had left his body, all he wanted to do was lie there and die peacefully. But he knew they wouldn’t let him. He knew they’d force him to stay alive, and so he forced himself to inhale and used the captured Oxygen to torture his limbs into bringing him to his feet. His vision cleared slightly as he stared around. A lamp at his back, buckled and dented by what Temper assumed had been him slamming into it. And then, almost on instinct, he stared upwards and felt all the hope vanish in a second.

Lethe was hovering in the air about twenty feet above and ten feet in front of him. Visible only as an outline with the glaring lamplight Temper’s eyes caught as he looked up, but he knew all the same who it was. He’d only ever met two elementals who could fly, and he was fairly sure Skulduggery Pleasant was still missing. There was a clicking sound somewhere down the way Temper had run, and he reluctantly pulled his eyes from Lethe to plant them on the source. High-heels, tapping against the ground and worn by a blonde in a Tuxedo wearing the only smile Temper had ever seen which he could honestly describe as “diabolical”. It was Razzia.  
Something shifted in the top of his vision and Temper looked back just in time to see Lethe gently drift back down to the ground. Even with both feet on the floor the man was tall, almost a foot taller than most, and when he walked it was with such a loping grace that it gave the impression he was still hovering a centimetre above the ground. His long, slender body was completely covered by a material with a texture somewhere in-between rubber and leather, and a shade of black that Temper had only ever seen fly out of a Necromancer’s weapon. His face was completely covered, and yet somehow Temper could feel the malice behind it. Not aimed at something as insignificant as him, merely a fierce and unending hatred for the world itself.

There was a popping noise from somewhere behind him, and Temper knew that Nero had teleported in, most likely bringing Memphis, to complete the circle surrounding him. He was trapped. It was over.

“Hello Temper, did you enjoy your stroll?”

Temper shivered at Lethe’s voice. Velvety smooth like silk against linen, yet picking apart each individual letter as if he relished speaking them. He was enjoying this, Temper realised, he’d seen him enjoy this. The others were only in it for blood, but Lethe was much much worse. He got his rocks off from pain of all kinds, and he always started with the mind. Temper wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.

“Can’t say I did, Lethe. Had a bit of a fall just now, you see. Two in fact. First when that moron lying unconscious back there jumped out at me, and then again when you threw me into the lamppost.”

Razzia finished walking over, coming up behind Temper and staring at him like a cat watching a mouse.

“I knew you weren’t one of us” she snarled, her smile twisting into a mask of pure fury for one of the only times Temper could recall. “You talked the talk, for sure, but I knew anyway. Your eyes, there was none of the righteous hatred the others had in them. Just stillness.”

She spat at her feet to emphasise her point, Temper forced a smile as he turned to address her.

“Well, it’s easy to say that in hindsight isn’t it? If you knew from the start then you’re an even bigger moron than I thought.”

Lethe silently stretched an arm in front of Razzia just as she went to step towards him, which he was certainly grateful for. Temper could fight better than a Cleaver, and he had plenty of power to put his skill behind, but he wasn’t particularly keen on a brawl with an enhancer like Razzia.

“I, for one, knew from the start” came Lethe’s smoothed drawl. “Not that I expect you to take my word for it. The truth is, Temper, that while I knew you for what you were, I was simply too fond of you to turn you away. You’re funny, the little faces you made when you watched us kill and torture- the big faces you made to hide them when you did it yourself- everything you did was thoroughly entertaining. I just couldn’t help but bring you into the fold.”

Temper didn’t like this, Lethe had never once raised his voice in the five months Temper had known him- and he’d been given plenty of reason to. Yet even now, even after a betrayal of this magnitude, he was this calm? Temper forced his face to remain placid, he ignored the white-hot panic building in the pit of his stomach which told him to run and hide or curl up into a ball, and he forced his voice to remain level as he answered.

“Well then, I guess you’re a lot more sentimental than I’d thought. Didn’t think you’d jeopardize so much just to have me as an ally for five months.”

Razzia was staring at Lethe now, and Temper got the feeling she wasn’t the only one. However even with so many almost accusatory gazes levelled at him, the elemental didn’t show even a hint of discomfort. He only tilted his head, as if in mock perplexion.

“Five months? Whatever do you mean Temper? Your tenure as a member of the Anti-Sanctuary is still in its early days.”

There were footsteps from behind Temper, he resisted the urge to crane his neck to see what Memphis and Nero were doing. They grew closer and then someone walked out from his right, Temper’s blood ran cold when he saw who it was. Not Memphis or Nero, not even some new and nameless drone of the Anti-Sanctuary, it was Smoke.

“W-What are you doing here?” Temper couldn’t fully keep the panic he was feeling from his voice now. Azzedine Smoke was just as different from the others as Lethe was, not in a new level of sadism but in what he did to people. Temper’s stare shot back to Lethe.

“Why did you bring him? Were you really so desperate to capture me that you’d risk him in the field?!”

Lethe paused a moment before answering, a habit of his.

“You are a very good actor, Temper. This is not flattery, I truly mean it. Of all the people I’ve met over the centuries, all the back-stabbers and assassins and generals and thieves, only three have been greater at deception than yourself. Would you care to know who they are?”

Temper did not, in fact, care.

“Answer my question you son of a bitch!”

He could hear Razzia giggling out of his sight, unable to even glimpse her as his vision constricted itself into a tunnel which was rapidly switching between Lethe and Smoke being at its centre. Lethe continued almost lazily, as if he hadn’t even heard Temper.  
“The best liar of all is China Sorrows. That woman’s face truly is wasted on her you know. Even if she were the world’s most hideous woman, she would still be able to play people like musical instruments. The second is Nefarian Serpine. He was a very poor choice of General on Mevolent’s part, perhaps the only person in the world who could have a chance of mounting a successful betrayal against him and he gave him power second only to himself. Ah, the arrogance of strength.”

Smoke’s hands began to tremble as dark red vapour swirled around them. Temper tried to step back, only for strong arms to seize him from behind. Nero and Memphis, each one grabbing him by a shoulder, forced him down onto his knees.

“Let go of me you bastards!”

Lethe, still, continued.

“The third greatest liar I have encountered is perhaps the most famous, and the most infamous. Skulduggery Pleasant. And it truly is no wonder, is it? There’s a trick to lying well, as you know, and it is to lie to yourself. Never has a man told himself more lies, half-truths and false promises than Detective Pleasant. It’s no wonder his mind was unreadable, I doubt any sensitive beyond the depths of insanity could sift through that mess.”

Despite his terror, Temper’s heart still managed to sink when he heard the word “was” used to describe Skulduggery. He couldn’t be dead, Lethe was just playing one of his games- a single subtle word in the right place to do the most damage. Skulduggery had to be alive, if he was dead then how would Temper repay him for-

“Well, Temper, if you can’t already see where I’m going, you are a good liar and by extension, very good at lying to yourself. You’ve spent five months channelling such hate and vitriol that it would make the most twisted Mortal supremacists blanch. You repeated so many of the mantras that punctuated your youth that, frankly, I cannot help but doubt Razzia’s claim she saw you for what you were.”

He turned to Razzia, who seemed to be sulking.

“Apologies, my dear. But as I was saying Temper, you are, at this very moment, full of the impulses and thoughts that you spent your early hundreds shaking free from.”

Temper screamed as he desperately wrestled against Memphis and Nero. The pain in his shoulder and back was gone, all he felt now was the utter dread at knowing what Lethe was planning.

“Mr Smoke, if you would be so kind….”

Smoke stepped forward, his face as blank as ever. Temper, heart pounding in his ears so loudly he could feel his temples pulsate to its rhythm, tried to bite his fingers as he brought his palm to his face but it was no use- Smoke’s hand pressed down firmly on his forehead and Temper’s struggling stopped.

The arms holding him went lax, as did his own, and all he could think about were the thousands of hateful urges spinning around in his head.

Mortals are vermin.  
Why should we protect rats?  
They’re destroying the planet.  
It’s only a matter of time before they find out about magic, then it’s us or them!

Temper felt a new feeling bubbling up inside him. A cold, callous hatred unlike anything he’d felt in a hundred years. He climbed to his feet and looked up at Lethe, smiling.

“So boss”, he began, “what’s our next move?"


	2. Breaking hard ground

Valkyrie kept her knees slightly bent and held her forearms out in front of her- elbows even height with her chest and hands reaching to the top of her face to protect as much of the body from which they sprouted as possible. She could feel her heart pounding in her ears, and the air burned her lungs as she dragged it into herself. Her mouth felt strange, as though her fatigue had a tangible taste as it soaked into her tongue. She could feel a twisting throb run along all of her limbs, courtesy of the numerous strikes they’d absorbed in her body and face’s stead. Still, however, despite all the discomfort and pain the one feeling Valkyrie experienced which overpowered all others was the indescribable flood of familiarity at finally sparring once more.

She barely stopped herself from grinning.

Of course as tempting as the pull of adrenalin was in twisting her mouth into a smile, Valkyrie’s resistance was made considerably easier by the person with whom she happened to be doing battle. Tanith Low stood five paces from her. Blonde hair tied back in a bun, toned arms left uncovered by her grey tanktop and glistening with the sweat accumulated over their warm ups. Her sword lay discarded against a nearby tree, nature having provided a prop to save the wall-walker from needing to leave her precious weapon tainted by laying it across the ground. Though it was unlikely to be muddied in the present winter, as the woodland in which they stood was carpeted by a hard and brittle dirt, balding with patches of dead grass peeled away by the wind. The majority of the trees surrounding the clearing in which they now stood were grey or brown, green leaves having died months earlier and the grasp of winter not yet having relaxed enough for them to be replaced. Despite the bite of the chilling air, Valkyrie felt warmth carried through her body by her blood. Not using her sword was the only capacity in which Tanith had seen fit to hold back, and even after weeks of getting her edge back Valkyrie was left far more bruised and exerted by their training sessions.

“You want to turn in for the day, Val? Might not be able to open the door if we keep going much longer.”

Valkyrie had quite a clever retort somewhere up in her head, but unfortunately her mouth was far too busy desperately drinking in lungfuls of cold air to project it outward. She settled for a defiant glare instead, reasoning that it would at the very least get the point across. Apparently it did, and Tanith waited not a moment longer before closing in on her.

She was like a bullet, three inches shorter than Valkyrie’s six foot stature but so streamlined and efficient that the sense of danger her impossible swiftness invoked was more akin to a great beast thrice her size. Tanith’s strong legs broke the ground under their heels as she shot forward with, closing the gap between them in the time Valkyrie’s thundering heart could beat twice. It was all Valkyrie could do to fend off the right jab that lashed out at her, catching fist against forearm and aggravating the budding bruises already swelling at the point of contact. It was not a heavy strike, and yet even with only the weight of an arm behind it the speed was so great it forced Valkyrie back a step- nearly outside of the training circle.

She didn’t have much time to recover, Tanith sent a second attack to accompany the first- now a left haymaker. This time her entire torso rotated with the punch, but even as powerful as it was this gave the perfect escape to its target. Valkyrie dived to the side, rolling away along Tanith’s right just as it swung back to allow more room to move her left. By the time the blonde had realised her mistake Valkyrie was on her feet and no longer had her back to the edge. 

Now it was her time to be on the offensive, though she lacked the skill, speed and power advantage that would have let her force Tanith onto the back-foot her greater reach kept the other woman at bay. A flurry of punches, arms moving so quickly as to be rendered blurs, were thrown at and parried by Valkyrie’s foe- and yet not even she could hope to keep a perfect guard under that. As Valkyrie worked her with attacks to the head, she switched to a low kick at one of her knees- then surprised her by casting aside her range advantage and stepping in to launch an elbow which successfully raked across her target’s jaw and sent her stumbling. Valkyrie wasn’t able to stop her grin anymore, however it seemed Tanith was happy to wipe it away for her. As Valkyrie closed in to continue her offensive, her target turned impossible even while leaning back- her legs pried free of the soil and her head moving down to meet it as her entire body rotated all while it was lifted upwards into the air as if ropes on the bottom of her feet had suddenly been pulled upwards by great invisible arms above the trees. A moment later it stopped and Tanith flipped back downwards, bringing a heavy kick to join her in her descent. Valkyrie caught Tanith’s attack across both of her arms, and yet it still forced her down onto her knees.

She tried to right herself, her thighs screaming as they hoisted her from the kneeling position, but in the moment Valkyrie spent rising Tanith had already made use of her edge and stepped to the side. A boot crunched into the back of Valkyrie’s knee, buckling it forwards and throwing her torso back- then strong hands seized her by the arm and the world flipped upside-down and inside-out.

She hit the ground face first, grunting in discomfort at the sensation of shattered earth being driven into her mouth. Her head still spun and her limbs weren’t working yet, so Valkyrie just rolled over onto her back and stared up at the sky- a dark grey sheet of clouds pulled across it. She lay there panting for a few moments before Tanith’s grinning face moved into her field of view, head framed by blonde hair falling around it as she stared down at Valkyrie with a look of annoying superiority.

“Looks like it’s your win” Valkyrie managed, a fortunate side effect of her loss being that she no longer had any better use for her lung’s contents than speech. Tanith stepped back and held out her hand, which Valkyrie seized with a grip strong enough to bypass the sweat loosening its hold. With a heave the older woman pulled her onto her feet, revealing the fighting ring still painted onto the floor several paces away. Several. Paces. Away.

“Jesus Christ Tanith, how hard did you throw me?”

Tanith’s smile strained in the way it always did when she was trying to hold it back from laughter.

“I might have gotten a little bit over excited near the end there, but in my defence you really have improved.”  
“I don’t care how much I’ve improved, you must’ve chucked me ten feet in the air.”

Tanith hesitated just a moment, sheathing her sword and wrapping the weapon around her belt before replying.

“Not TEN feet.”

Valkyrie couldn’t help it, she cracked a smile alongside Tanith as the older woman walked over to her sword’s resting post and plucked it into her arms. Valkyrie could’ve sworn she saw her whisper something to it as the pair of them turned and began the mile-long trek back to Gordon’s house. The winter chill was no less pronounced on the journey than it was in the forest, and yet neither woman wore anything providing more cover than a T-shirt. Tanith’s idea, apparently tolerating the cold would both train discipline and make them more eager to begin exercising to warm up. Valkyrie thought she just liked watching her squirm.

“Sometimes I think you’re more fond of that sword than you are of me” she muttered.

“I wouldn’t say I’m more fond of it, you’re both equally precious to me in your own little ways.”

“I see, could you elaborate?”

They reached the edge of the trees, then continued on up to the base of the slope and began to scale it. Tanith smiled as though she were explaining something very obvious.

“Certainly. My sword is both beautiful and effective, useful in battle, having saved my life more times than I can count, and when tucked safely into its scabbard it provides comfort on those cold, lonely nights.”

“...Right. And what would my benefits be?”

She didn’t answer immediately. Seeming to give rather intense consideration to the question for several seconds before bequeathing her reply onto Valkyrie.

“I’m sure I’ll think of something.”

“Wouldn’t you need to be capable of thought to do that?”

They continued bickering for the remainder of the trip, the verbal sparring providing an excellent distraction from the cold. When Valkyrie had first started training with Tanith, the hike back uphill to Gordon’s house had been something she derived no small amount of grievance from. However her muscles had since adjusted and hardened themselves, becoming denser and stronger even while the pockets of fat Valkyrie had accumulated over the last five years had evaporated from her. Next to the strain of keeping up with Tanith for an hour at a time, hiking through some woodland and up a hill was nothing.

Valkyrie stepped towards Gordon’s front door. Built into a frame of solid wood carved centuries ago, it looked as though it had been made to stop an invading force. Of course ten years, when Skulduggery had blasted his way into the building to defend Valkyrie, the magic which had completely obliterated the very modern door had left the frame around it untarnished- so Valkyrie supposed that it probably could hold up against an assault. Now it was more durable than ever, as in her time occupying her uncle’s estate she had seen fit to replace the flimsy door with one almost as impact-resistant as the structure on which it hung. Valkyrie fished a key out of her right pocket, large, clunky and old fashioned to fit the medieval appearance of the thing it opened. She inserted it in the door and unlocked it with a twist, pushing it open and gesturing Tanith inside.

“After you.”

Tanith walked through, kicking her boots off and leaving them by the entrance. Valkyrie followed her in and locked the door behind them.

Gordon’s house was one she had a great deal of time inside. Countless hours of her childhood had involved chasing her uncle down the sprawling corridors, up the grandiose staircase and hiding behind great suits of armour as he followed and growled like a monster. Her adolescence had also seen her frequenting the building, scouring its voluminous bookshelves at the direction of Gordon’s recorded consciousness to procure whichever dusty and leatherbound slab of pages and ink they happened to have need for. However she had only recently called it her home, after five years in America the climate in Ireland felt shockingly chilly- yet the great stone walls of this house sheltered her as if they were blankets. The thick crimson carpet that ran along most of the hallways felt as though it radiated heat even while it pressed into the soles of Valkyrie’s socked feet, and as she and Tanith turned into the main living room they were greeted with a fireplace housing a flame so large it might envelope a person’s entire body- something she had only otherwise seen produced at bonfires and the hand of an elemental. The floor of the living room was a varnished wood, but it had a great rug encompassing the middle half of it. Lined with unfeasibly comfortable bookshelves, a similarly large television and numerous bookshelves- one of which Valkyrie knew for a fact was actually a door leading to another room in the house. She’d been living in the house for a few months now, but the effect of walking into a place she could honestly, truly call her home was something that still made her heart turn upside down

Tanith didn’t hesitate before making her way to the most comfortable of the chairs, even though she’d been back in Ireland for only three days- several months less time than Valkyrie- she seemed to have already made herself comfortable at Gordon’s house. Valkyrie had no intention of allowing her to relax on her furniture just yet, however.

“Towel.” She called out, making the blonde stop in her tracks and turn around sulkily.

Valkyrie handed her a large white towel from the table by the door, then took another for herself and began to wipe the sweat from her arms, neck and face. Once she had removed most of it from herself, Tanith draped her towel back over the table and headed straight for her original destination. Valkyrie followed suit and took a different seat. 

“I meant it you know”, came Tanith’s voice as the heat radiating from Valkyrie’s fire began to seep through her flesh and warm her bones. “You really have improved, made a hell of a nuisance of yourself this last few times. I’d say you’ve about gotten back in shape on a physical level, and the Surge has put you on a completely different level in terms of magic.”

“I still can’t beat you though.” Valkyrie muttered, massaging her forearms as she thought back to the disparity which still remained between her and Tanith. Of course Tanith only chuckled at this.

“Of course you can’t, do you have any idea how awesome I am? Besides, it’s the rate you’ve improved that’s impressive. You have about a tenth of my combat experience and you’re already catching up, just need to figure out how that magic of yours works.”

Valkyrie bristled at that, unarmed training was fine by her- the exhilaration from feeling every muscle in her body cluster to work against the same goal was as addictive as ever- but her strange new powers were another thing entirely. The last time she’d started developing unheard of abilities it had ended badly for everyone.

“What’s wrong?” Tanith asked, concern showing behind her voice.

Valkyrie shook her head. “Nothing. I just haven’t gotten the hang of my magic yet, it’s harder to figure out than Elementalism or Necromancy.” At first she wasn’t sure Tanith had bought her lie, but as those big blue eyes seemed to relax and her body leaned back into the seat she figured it must have seemed believable.

“It makes sense, you don’t exactly have any more experienced user who can teach you, right?”

Valkyrie hesitated before answering this time, in truth she hadn’t actually tried to find anyone who could teach her. The new and mysterious powers at her fingertips were something she’d have rather left un-meddled with, even now that she was stepping back into the world of Sorcerers.

“No.” she lied once more. “I haven’t. I suppose the closest would be an energy-thrower, like Vex, right? Then again Skulduggery told me it was more similar to Warlocks and Witches…”

Tanith scowled at the last remark.

“Bloody witches. I can’t stand them, do you know my brother once dated a witch?”

Valkyrie couldn’t help but laugh at this one.

“You’re pulling my leg!”

She’d expected Tanith to laugh along at her joke, but the glum look of annoyance she still had plastered across her face was something Valkyrie would recognise anywhere.

“I wish I was, she was awful. Always going on about how we don’t practice-”

Valkyrie remembered her own encounter with a witch some years back, finishing Tanith’s sentence for her.

“-true magic, and that true magic is about opening your mind up to everything and everyone. Right?”

Tanith arced an eyebrow.

“You’ve met one too?”

“Just before the war, well two actually. Granddaughter and grandmother, the granddaughter was quite hot but also had this way of talking that made me really want to punch her.”

Tanith scoffed at that.

“Oh I know what you mean, the one Eris went out with loved calling me “girl”. As if her being half a decade older meant anything when we were both in our sixties.”

“Wait, she still looked young at sixty?”

“I didn’t say that, for all you know Eris just cared more about her personality than her looks.”

“Okay but didn’t you say she was a massive bitch?”

Tanith grinned.

“Well, yeah, but you still shouldn’t assume.”

Valkyrie laughed along with her, but was a bit preoccupied remembering her second encounter with witches.

“Was she a Bride of the Blood Tears?”

Tanith paused, seeming as though she were struggling to remember something unimportant.

“I don’t think so, I remember she said something about the Maidens of True Spirit a lot. Somewhere in-between her rants about how open her mind was.”

It was Valkyrie’s time to grin now.

“God I’d pay money to see you deal with her, what did you do when she went off about stuff like that?”

“Opening her mind to everything? I told her she was mispronouncing the word legs.”

Valkyrie snorted into her hand.

“Anyway,” Tanith continued as if she hadn’t made the joke at all, “what I was really trying to get at before is that you’re holding up well. Considering what happened, at first I thought you were just hiding your… well, how you felt after the incident with Darquesse, but seeing you working like this after returning home….” she trailed off for a moment, then cleared her throat. “I’m proud of you Val.”

Valkyrie didn’t respond. Her throat felt tight after what Tanith said, not with gratitude or happiness either, but with shame.

“Anyway, you’re getting back into things today aren’t you? Skulduggery’s arriving in a few hours, I might stick around and say hi if you don’t mind. I’ve been looking for him since I got here but nobody seems to have seen him, if I didn’t know any better I’d say he was avoiding me.”

“Oh, yeah sure. I could do with the company anyway”. This actually wasn’t a lie, as nice as it was to have another living thing in the house Xena was a poor conversationalist compared to Tanith, or any human for that matter. In fact, her talks with Tanith had been some of the few real interactions Valkyrie had had in months. As they continued chatting away about this and that the hours practically melted past, and Valkyrie had just finished telling Tanith about how much New York had changed since the blitz when she heard the door ring.

“That’ll be him,” she stood up and went to answer it, almost reluctant to abandon the warmth of her fire. Still, Skuldugger’s company would bring with it an entirely different but even greater variety of warmth- and Valkyrie had been looking forward to it all throughout the months since she agreed to return to the fold.

As she entered , however, Valkyrie was met with a sight completely different to Skulduggery’s form. The man behind the door was tall and lean, his hair was pitch black and his eyes were brown. He had a sheet-like complexion, as though drained of blood, and his face was a sharp and angular structure carrying a distinct yet unnervingly predatory beauty which was marred only by a long and faded scar running from the jaw to just above the eyebrow on the right side of it. Valkyrie recognised that scar and knew it well, being the one to have inflicted it. His expression was the same relaxed and level stare she’d seen time and time again, the one that had almost never changed- even when it’s wearer’s teeth sank into her throat eight years ago.

“Miss Valkyr-” came the Vampire Dusk’s steadied voice, cut short three syllables into its sentence as her heel slammed into his diaphragm and sent him sprawling back onto the ground outside.

Valkyrie screamed for Tanith as she raised her hand and stepped over Dusk, light began to shine out from under her skin- glowing from a non-existent void between flesh and bone as it filled with a broiling and supernatural energy. Dusk instantly went stiff and halted all movement, it seemed he knew how destructive Valkyrie’s white lightning was. She didn’t like using her magic, but she liked having her throat torn out significantly less. There were footsteps behind her as Tanith appeared by her side, sword drawn and raised ready to be brought down on the man even as he lay there, however before the sword fell like a guillotine she hesitated.

“What the hell do you want?” Valkyrie snarled. She remembered all too well their last encounter. How he’d knocked her head over heels and left her friends trapped in a losing battle. Dusk coughed once before answering, his tone betraying the slightest hint of emotion for once.

Dusk answered in the same drawl he always spoke with, voice so calm he might have been talking someone through answers on an examination.

“I am here on business from Grand mage Sorrows.”

Valkyrie arced an eyebrow, the energy building behind her palm intensified and projected an even fiercer light outwards.

“I don’t believe you.”

Valkyrie saw Tanith glance at her out of the corner of her eye, remaining poised to strike as she spoke.

“No Valkyrie wait, I’ve spent a bit of time reading up on Roarhaven’s new situation and I think he’s telling the truth.”

She turned to meet Tanith’s look now.

“What?”

“He’s….” Tanith’s brow furrowed in annoyance. “Oh bollocks I can’t remember the proper temino- oi, Vampire.”

Tanith looked back to Dusk as she spat out the last words, Dusk, for his part, did not seem to be particularly intimidated by the scimitar glinting evilly in the glow of Valkyrie’s power.

“You work for China right?”

Dusk nodded.  
“What’s your rank?”

When Dusk answered it was in that same drawl as before, this time tinged with an almost automatic feeling- as though he were reading his words from a transcript.

“I am the Chief Arbiter of Roarhaven city.”

Now it was Valkyrie’s turn to frown.

“What the hell is that and why should it stop me from vaporising your head?”

Dusk carried on as if being threatened with death were no more ruffling than any other interruption.

“Roarhaven city is the first Sorcerer city in over a thousand years, and as such it is the first Sorcerer settlement in that time to face the issue of a large population living close together. Arbiters used to exist to enforce laws less important than the secrecy of magic or illegality of murder, and as the need for them has now been uniquely recreated in Roarhaven the Arbiters have been reformed to meet it.”

Valkyrie’s jaw tightened as she answered, that Vampiric cool-headedness she knew all too well was even more annoying than she’d remembered. “Cool, so is there a reason you’re here or did China just think I needed a history lesson?”

“If you would have allowed me to continue,” Dusk shot back, “I would already be informing you of it…. May I stand?”

Valkyrie looked back to Tanith, then both of them returned their gaze to the Vampire.

“No.” They said together. Dusk’s eyebrows lowered a fraction in what Valkyrie guessed was annoyance, in her experience with Vampires this micro-expression was their equivalent of screaming to the heavens in rage and anguish.

“Very well then. Grand Mage Sorrows extends her invitation to you for a meeting in the Sanctuary at three P.M this afternoon. She also asked that I inform you she is aware of when you are scheduled to meet with Detective Pleasant, and that he shall not be arriving today.”

“Skulduggery would have told me if he was going to cancel at the last minute, in fact I don’t think he’s ever done that before. What’s going on?”

“Grand Mage Sorrows will explain everything in person, at three P.-”

“Yes, right. Jesus.”

She looked back to Tanith. “Any idea what’s going on?”

The swordswoman shrugged, having moved out of a striking position but still keeping her weapon unsheathed.

“No idea Val, I’ve only been in Ireland a few days remember?”

Dusk cleared his throat.

“There is another matter, I was informed you may require an escort.”

Valkyrie was about to snap back with a retort which would, if she did say so herself, quite thoroughly put Dusk in his place- however before she got the chance Tanith had piped up.

“Valkyrie can take care of herself, even if she couldn’t I think I should do just fine as an escort, thank you very much.”

“I understand your abilities are held in high regard Miss Low,” Dusk began, “but the suggested bodyguard would be an entire squad of Cleavers.”

Tanith hesitated at that. She could take one Cleaver, maybe two with some luck, but they both knew she was no replacement for a full squad of four. Valkyrie couldn’t lie to herself about their effectiveness, but the thought of being followed around by four sociopathic super-soldiers and treated like a helpless child was one that still bugged her. And then it was replaced by another thought.

“Why would that be needed?” Valkyrie couldn’t help but frown as she asked this, even five years after the war of Sanctuaries Cleavers were quite a rare commodity across the globe. She wouldn’t have thought an entire squad would be dispatched for her unless it was for a very good reason.

“This is one of the things which will be covered by Grand Mage Sorrows in your meeting. However she also, as I see now correctly, guessed that you would be against travelling with such a large escort. In which case I was to offer my personal protection as a substitute.”

“She thought I’d rather be followed around by humanity’s natural predator than a group of ninjas with superpowers who, presumably, would do almost anything I told them to?”

Dusk seemed to show just a hint of annoyance, possibly even anger, at that.

“Do not presume to know the nature of a Vampire, Valkyrie Cain. Do you remember when we last met all those years ago?”  
She barely stopped herself from snarling as she thought back to that night. “Oh, you mean when you left hundreds of people to be massacred waiting for their reinforcements?”

“When I told you that I owed you a debt. I have not forgotten your service to me, Valkyrie Cain. I followed Moloch to the ends of the earth in order to kill him for wronging me, it is within my nature to settle debts of all kind. I have no intention of making an exception for you.”

Tanith blinked.

“Is it just me or did that sound pretty damn threatening?”

Dusk half-sighed with exasperation.

“You will need a guide to make your way through the city in any practical span of time regardless, I am merely offering my services to fill the role someone inevitably must.”

“So what, you’re my bodyguard now?”

Dusk shook his head.

“No, I am the Chief Arbiter of Roar-”

“It was sarcasm, I was being sarcastic. Jesus Christ do they not have anyone else?”

Tanith nudged Valkyrie to get her attention, leaning in to whisper.

“He has a point, Val. Neither of us really know our way through the city, and if China thinks you need a squad of Cleavers guarding you then you probably do. Say what you will about her, she has a nose for danger. Outside of the Dead Men, I don’t think you could ask for better protection than Dusk.”

Valkyrie wanted to argue, but she knew her friend was right. She vocalised her irritation with a sigh, then looked back down to the Vampire.

“Alright, fine. On your feet.”

Dusk did not place his legs below his torso before standing up, he simply rose into a sitting position with his knees bent into his stomach- then straightened his legs and elevated his body to a stand as if it were an inflated toy rather than a solid form of flesh and bone.

“Bloody show-off” muttered Tanith. Dusk made no effort to brush himself off, the Winter’s fangs having bitten deep into the ground and left it no more likely to dirty his clothes as it was Tanith’s sword.

“I shall await you outside, should you need it I arrived here in a vehicle and can drive you to Roarhaven.”

“You’re going to wait outside?” Valkyrie asked.

“Yes.”

“Like… here?”

Dusk nodded.

“Don’t you feel cold?”

“I do not.”

She shrugged.

“Alright then, I’m going back in. Still want to come with me?” The last sentence was addressed to Tanith, who responded prudently.

“Oh no, I was planning on leaving you to have a bloody Vampire drive you to God knows where.”

Valkyrie smiled, at the very least her journey would not be boring.


	3. The babysitter

Valkyrie wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting Dusk’s car to be like, but somehow the slate grey sedan he’d parked some two miles from Gordon’s house failed to surprise her. Quite sleek and smooth, it struck out as a vehicle made almost in the image of the one who owned it. A quick glance to the side revealed Tanith arching an eyebrow at the sight, apparently feeling similarly. Of course the Vampire gave little time for either of them to dwell on it, he simply approached and stepped into the car so smoothly it seemed as though he shrank rather than simply tucking in his limbs. Tanith followed with surprising speed, and it was only once she had gotten around the front and opened the passenger-side door that Valkyrie realised she had been delegated to the back seat. Resisting the urge to frown, she entered along with them and moments later they were driving across the cement leading to the main road.

Conversation on the journey was somewhat stifled, both by Dusk’s presence and Valkyrie and Tanith’s separation. A few times one of them would try to spark up a talk, but the dark haired man gave off such an air of solemnity that the sparks of laughter were quickly suffocated. Eventually Valkyrie gave up attempting to instigate banter entirely, instead passing the time by staring blankly out of the window and watching as the rows of trees lining the motorway, just as naked as the ones in the woodlands, blurred into a line of grey and brown. Of course blurry trees, while truly fascinating in their own right, were somehow insufficient to distract Valkyrie for any significant period of time. And soon enough she found herself shifting around in annoyance, constantly flicking her eyes towards the clock on the dashboard and silently willing for time to pass just a little bit faster.

By the time she noticed the fields begin to turn the same colour as the trees which nested within them, she had almost fallen asleep. Sitting up, quickly alert, she glanced at the clock once more to confirm the journey was nearly done. 

“It should be no more than five or ten minutes from now.”

Dusk murmured without looking back, seeming to answer Valkyrie’s question before she could even ask it.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the car slowed to a crawl before stopping before a run-down petrol station on Dusk’s side. Valkyrie could count only two pumps, and the cracked floor on which they were built made it seem long abandoned. There was a beaten-up looking carwash located next to the main building, though in its state Valkyrie would be surprised if anything would have left it with less grime clinging to it. A few moments after they stopped a lazy looking man with scruffy clothes and a stupid hat resting askew on his head walked towards them. He wasn’t particularly exceptional in appearance, but as he drew near Valkyrie recognised that hardness in his eyes glinting like diamond. A Sorcerer.

“Good afternoon Chief Arbiter, sir” spoke the man, “I assume you wish to enter Roarhaven?”

Dusk did not hesitate before answering, projecting his response as though it were rehearsed.

“I do, could you please open the gate?”

The man nodded, then actually saluted before turning on his heel and disappearing into the petrol station. A moment later the car lurched forwards, turning down to come up in front of the carwash. A sign in front glowed, and Dusk drove through into it.

The plastic sheets hanging from the entrance slid across the vehicle as it pushed through them, falling back into place once it passed, and Valkyrie was suddenly overcome by an overwhelming sense of anxiety. She spared a glance to Tanith, leaning to one side in order to get a better look at her friend’s face- sure enough the blonde seemed to be clenching her jaw as they went onwards. Whatever was about to happen, Tanith was just as familiar with it as she was reluctant to experience it. As they approached the second set of plastic drapes, Valkyrie couldn’t help but feel the alarming urge to leap out of the car- as if disaster would befall them all if she didn’t. And yet she stayed put, simply watching and gulping her fear back down as Dusk continued through the car wash. Valkyrie gasped as the plastic covering was brushed over the car, revealing an impossible sight- a city.

It was quite unlike anything else Valkyrie had ever seen before, though she had walked through it once in her life several years ago. Great polished buildings of solid pale stone were set out in rows, with remarkable variation in shapes between them all. Some of them felt almost anachronistic, with designs far more akin to the neatly-cut slabs of ancient Roman columns than any modern designs. Marble, sandstone, something looking similar to concrete- which Valkyrie assumed was granite or slate- and many, many more. It was as though the structures around her had all been made with materials decided by the roll of a dice. No two buildings were identical, though some were similar.

The streets in which the stone constructs rested were just as impressive, pavements wide enough for two or even three people to walk shoulder to shoulder along them, smoothed and cleaned to such an extent they almost seemed polished. The road, too, was similar in scale- even as Dusk’s car prowled down its length and turned a corner the space on either side of it felt almost oceanic. As they made their way down the winding streets, Tanith began to give Valkyrie a run down on how much things had changed for the city in the five years since she’d set foot there. Much of it had been damaged in the battles taking place between the sorcerers and warlocks during the siege, and then an entire quarter had been obliterated by a blast which made most nukes look like fireworks, courtesy of Darquesse. Of course with five years of time to rebuild, the city had completely recovered from its wounds. The physical ones, at least. While hollow men had worked by the thousand to repair the damage, there were some things which standard labour could not begin to repair. For example, a roughly one-acre section known locally as “the Split” had been rendered completely uninhabitable for any and all sensitives. At first Valkyrie had thought this to be the work of Darquesse’s magic, however it seemed there was another explanation.

“It was Vile”, Dusk chipped in. He hadn’t spoken for the entire drive through Roarhaven before now, and his sullen drawl took both Valkyrie and Tanith by surprise.  
“I never encountered him myself, I still had mortal flesh and life during the years of his presence in the war with Mevolent. Still, I was told of him by my elders. He was a blight to my kind just as much to yours.”

Valkyrie frowned at that.

“Why? I never heard of the vampires picking a side in Mevolent’s war.”

She noticed Dusk eying her in the mirror as he replied.

“We did not, or at least not all of us. Vampire kind is not unified any more than sorcerers or mortals, save for our code.”

“And some of you aren’t even unified by that.” Came Tanith’s muttering. Dusk either didn’t hear or didn’t care to acknowledge it.

“Vile was a Necromancer, his power lay in death. But it also lay in the dead.”

Sudden realisation overcame Valkyrie. Of course, Vile was practically Necromancy in human form. He must have been able to control vampires as well as she’d seen lesser Necromancers control zombies. However when Dusk continued, his elaboration brought more questions and dashed her answer.

“Necromancy was not made by sorcerers.” He mused, almost to himself now. “It is the power of dead things wielded by a living mind, in short it is the magic of vampires. Many of my kind dislike human Necromancers as a rule, they see them as having stolen the discipline from its true owners.”

Tanith piped up, no longer mumbling and half-joking.

“What about you?”

“I do not possess any more than the physical power and agelessness that is common to all members of my species. Though, to be frank, the extent to which these advantages gifted me is decidedly uncommon.”

There was quiet as the car silently crawled through the streets for a few seconds, roads so impossibly level that it felt as though the wheels were hovering a centimetre above the ground. Finally Valkyrie broke the silence.

“If you do say so yourself.”

It may have been her imagination, but she could have sworn there was the slightest hint of a smile pulling at the corner of Dusk’s lip as she glanced at his reflection in the rearview mirror.

It was not long before they neared the Sanctuary. Of course even before they were remotely close Valkyrie could clearly see it. Towering into the air, the Sanctuary was really more akin to a palace- and even then most mortal palaces fell short due to not being constructed with magic as an aid. There was a great keep-like base which stretched out to approximately the area of a few city blocks and reached a height of perhaps three or four hundred feet, Valkyrie had never been good at judging distance. From this keep sprouted a spire, stretching out to at least thrice the main building’s altitude and almost appearing to graze the tops of lower hanging clouds. While the majority of Roarhaven had been made from various kinds of rock, the Sanctuary caught the sunlight with a great metallic sheen. Valkyrie realised it was likely made from bronze, or at least coated in it. She wondered why China had gone to all the effort of changing it in such a way, perhaps to differentiate herself from Ravel?

Thoughts of the traitor quickly soured Valkyrie’s sense of wonder into an unpleasant yet directionless anger. She could very much understand altering the appearance of a building which had been commissioned by a bastard like him, in fact all of a sudden she found herself feeling quite pleased to see the rest of Roarhaven bearing relatively little resemblance to the state in which she had first seen it.

Soon a great shadow befell them, cast by the Sanctuary itself and falling over what felt like at least a tenth of the city. Approaching the base of the Sanctuary’s keep, Dusk’s vehicle was approached once more. This time by a short man with an unfortunate nose who wore the same uniform as the vampire.

“Good afternoon sir,” the man spoke rather formally, “I trust you are here to escort the Grand Mage’s guest?”

Dusk stared at the man with a look Valkyrie could not see, however the way the chirpy Arbiter paled gave her a good mental image.

“You did not ask me my name, Frankly.”

The Arbiter, who Valkyrie supposed was named Frankly, began to stammer out a response.

“M-my apologies sir, I just thought that since.”

Dusk cut him off.

“Since what? Since I looked like your superior, you would allow me through? What if I were a Cecidimus and had changed my face to disguise myself? Would you have allowed me to pass without exposing my voice or speech patterns? Does your duty matter to you so little that you would endanger the Elder Council themselves by allowing an unknown and dangerous intruder into their midst?”

Frankly replied with what Valkyrie imagined was supposed to be English, but really just sounded like the blubbering of a small child. Dusk drove on without another word to him.

“What the hell was that?” Tanith demanded once they were past, her face had reddened with outrage.

“Arbiters are not to take any risks at all, facial and vocal verification are required to enter the Sanctuary. He knew that, and is fortunate I did not have him scrubbing floors with the apprentices.”

Tanith seemed as though she were about to say something else, but simply fell back into her chair and glared. Silence surrounded them as they drove forward, the road now led to a large decline ending in what looked like some sort of basement. Valkyrie suppressed a shudder at that, she really didn’t like being underground. Yet it wasn’t as bad as she’d assumed, the car park- for that’s what it was- had been half filled already, an assortment of vehicles ranging from the cheap and stubborn to the expensive and powerful. While Dusk brought them to a parking space, she scanned the stationary vehicles at all sides in search of a Bentley. She had found none by the time they stopped, and so it was with a scowl that she climbed out.

Dusk led them to a large staircase built into a concrete pillar in the centre of the area, perhaps people preferred modern cement to hold the ceiling up over their heads over the prettier natural stones used elsewhere. After the stairs they came upon a stretching corridor, lined with figures Valkyrie recognised immediately. All of them wore a grey overcoat with a texture somewhere between linen and leather, faces obscured behind a great metal helmet with a sleek visor over the eyes. They did not turn to look at her as she entered, in fact they stood so still she might’ve mistaken them for statues between that and their colouration, however their very presence invoked the feeling of being watched in her- and each one of them clutched a great scythe with a blackened blade. Cleavers.

They walked down the hall without paying any heed to the silent sentries, however halfway across Tanith let out a gasp. Valkyrie turned to her and saw she was staring at one of the Cleavers standing at the wall.

For a moment she didn’t realise what had gotten Tanith’s attention, however after a second she noticed it. The Cleaver was staring right at Tanith, in fact all of them were. Nothing happened for a few seconds, save for the tensing of muscles and the deepening of breaths, but then the Cleaver closest to them raised one hand to its helmet and pressed its fingers to the metal in a salute. All the others mimicked the gesture, and then the battalion resumed their original positions and lifelessness without any further action. Dusk glanced at Tanith, who still seemed rather shaken.

“It was you who killed the White Cleaver, wasn’t it?”

Tanith didn’t react right away, but shakily nodded.  
“Yes… I mean, yeah but.. Well, I cheated and it was mostly luck. But yeah.”

Dusk gave a look similar to acknowledgement, then continued walking. Valkyrie and Tanith both followed after him while he spoke.

“I suppose this is the first time since returning to Ireland that you have encountered its Cleavers. The White Cleaver was once one of them. He slayed four of his brothers five years ago, and forsook the grey. In killing them you have, I believe, earned their respect.”

“Oh.” Was all Tanith seemed able to say. She needn’t have uttered anymore, between the renovations to the city and the behaviour of its Cleavers, people she had always assumed were an absolute constant, it had been made clear to Valkyrie just how much things had changed in her absence.

Dusk continued leading the way for her through this new, alien Sanctuary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not too happy with this one, felt hard to balance scene-building and description with getting a natural-feeling flow. I'll have to try and get that right by next one.
> 
> Cutting a bit close to the monthly schedule, but I pulled through this time at least. There will be a delay before the next chapter, however. Probably an extra month, so you'll be waiting at least that long before you get it- for those of you who actually care.


End file.
